Former Melbourne Rebels player Hoani MacDonald has collapsed during an NPC Championship division match after suffering a suspected heart attack on Saturday.
The Southland second-rower went down midway through the first half of his side’s semi-final clash against Counties Manukau in Pukekohe near Auckland.
Vigorous CPR was performed on MacDonald for five minutes and the 34-year-old was then put in the back of an ambulance and taken to Middlemore Hospital in a serious condition.
He played 23 Super Rugby matches for the Highlanders between 2004 and 2008 and after spending time with Welsh side Newport-Gwent, signed a two-year deal with the Rebels for the 2011 season.
The forward’s 2011 season was blighted by a serious hand injury in Melbourne’s opening game and he returned home to New Zealand early in 2012.
MacDonald made his New Zealand Maori debut in 2004 and also represented the Junior All Blacks in 2006 and 2007.